Photo: (l-r) Marc Dodd, Matt Fuqua, Josh Havens, Brad Wigg
BREATHEcast.com -Tell us more about how the band started?

Josh: Well, Matt and I first went to high school together. He was a couple years ahead of me. We were in choir together...but did not know each other very well. He came into Starbucks looking for a job, and I recognized him from high school so I put in a good word. He and I started working in Starbucks together. We'd bring our guitars to work and we'd pull them out while we were on the clock and play for customers, and they really enjoyed it. So we thought, maybe we ought to give this a try... We booked a show for this missions conference, like a coffee shop thing- we put together an acoustic set. After that, a lot of people started asking where they could buy our disc or where they could see us play next. We didn't have any of that because we never really put much thought into that. And we thought "You know, maybe God has something more for us." We started playing around more and more. We actually had a show booked opening for a band called the 77s, it's a band that we really like. We needed a bass player, because we wanted to put together a full band for that show. I didn't know any bass players at that time, but I knew Brad from Starbucks, and I knew that he was an excellent guitarist- so I asked him if he could learn to play the bass in a week. He said "You know what? I'll borrow a bass and try." He borrowed a bass and practiced hard for a week and learned the songs... and later we met Marc at the same Starbucks. He came to play drums for us.

Who were you trying to reach at that time?

We wanted to play for anyone who wanted to listen, which led to a very diverse group of people that would come to our shows. We would play at church one night, a coffee house the next night, and a club the next night. That's basically what we did. We played for anyone that God set before us, and any venues He placed us in.

You guys started off with different names?

Yea, we started off with the name 'Screaming Mimes,' and later we changed that into 'Blisse.' Last year, we changed it to 'The Afters' [because of trademark issues].

Can you explain the meaning of The Afters?

The term is used in parts of Europe- such as England and Ireland. This is something that happens after a formal banquet or wedding. If you can't afford to get all drssed up and get a limo or whatever, if you can't afford to go to the formal, then you are welcomed to go to The Afters where everyone is invited and everyone is welcomed.

Describe the scene of how your relationship started with Simple Records.

We pulled a show at a Halloween alternative event. It was right before "I Can Only Imagine" blew up. They [MercyMe] listened to us, really liked our music, and we kind of hit it off as friends. Matt became good friends with their guitarist... we kept in touch over the years. Bart heard that we were talking to a bunch of record labels. He called us up and said, "Hey, I'm working on this new record label called Simple records, before you sign with anybody, I want to talk to you." When the time was right, they flew down, and... we thought it was the right thing. We thought that it was exactly what God has orchestrated for us. And we were very confident that it was the right move to make. We shared the same vision for the band, and they were very supportive of what we wanted to do, so it was a relationship that really worked well. We knew we could trust him.

How has touring been lately?

It's been awesome. We realy enjoyed the Undone Tour with Mercyme, Jeremy Camp, and Monk & Neagle. It was a great experience for us and it was a great opportunity to come before a lot of people and make new friends and fans.

Your goal as a band?

Our goal is to play music for anyone who will listen. To have a positive impact on culture, and to live out our faith with csour music and our lives. We are here to know God and to make Him known, so we want to be faithful to that calling. Wherever God places us, we wish to be faithful stewards.

Any songs with messages directed towards the youth?

We have a song called "Someday." We just recieved an e-mail just last week, from a girl who was not Christian, she didn't even know much about us... she just went to Best Buy and decided to buy our CD randomly. She was actually on the verge of committing suicide, and she was very depressed. She listened to our song called "Someday" and it really spoke to her, and she ended up giving her life over to God. It's a song about someone really close to me, who seems to make all the wrong decisions in their lives. When you're in that age group, high school, there are so many pivotal points. So many decisions that you come across where your life can go in one of two directions. You can choose the way of the world, you can choose to go after what seems to be fun and exciting, but is actually detrimental to your body and spirit. Or you could choose the path that God has for you and submit your life to Him.

In the music video "Beautiful Love," there's a woman that comes out. What does she symbolize?

It's imagery. She's running away from the camera and is escaping into rooms that are filled with beauty. She's kind of running away from her destiny. We often run away from God and what He's calls us to do. And the church has repeatedly run away from God over the years. He always calls us back though. Like the parable of the lost sheep teaches us, no matter what we do, God will always call us back into the fold. In the video, there are a lot of beautiful images that come into play, the stars, flowers blooming, leaves in the wind. Even when life is hard and we feel like running or escaping, there is still so much joy to be found. It's so easy to overlook those things. At the end of the video, she finally stops running, turns around and she smiles, signifying her surrender to destiny.

I wrote that song about my relationship with my wife, Cara. We were friends for a long time. We never even thought about being married, and one day I just knew that she was the right one. The bible says that we are the bride of Christ. As much as I love my wife, I know that God loves me so much more. How many people run away from what God has for them before they realize and open themselves up to His love.

I wonder how many people know the meaning behind the music video?

Well, we kind of like it like that. We leave it open for interpretation. There are a lot of different ways you can take on It. And we kind of like it that way. We like to leave it mysterious and artistic. We didn't want to spell it out but rather leave it up to interpretation. That way, it speaks to people in different parts of their lives, it might mean different things to different people, and we just want it touch people however it possibly can. It's been interesting to hear all of the different takes on it.

What do u guys do when not on the road?

We spend time with our families. We're all married with kids, we love to spend time with our wives and kids.

Who's the introvert/exrovert in the group?

Brad is the introvert. He's our bass player, he's the quiet one. I'd say Matt and I are the extrovert. Actually- I'd say Marc is an extrovert, too.

Plans for this summer?

We're doing lots of festivals [CreationFest West, Spirit West Coast], lots of radio shows.

What song would you recommend to feel closer to God?

"All That I Am." It's basically about how Christ commanded us to love God with our heart, mind, and soul, and I was just thinking- "that's a prescription for a perfect world." If we love God with all of our hearts, all of our minds, and all of our souls, then we'll do the same that He'll ask of us. Then there will be no war, no fighting, stealing, lying or any of those things. This world will never be perfect, but if we follow Gods commands we can certainly make it better.

Next- the typical "What are you listening to?" question.

We listen to lots of different music... Gosh- what have we been listening to? Ah- we got the new Coldplay album, that's the most recent one that we got. We listen to a lot of talk radio, too.

If you guys got the opportunity to tour with another Christian artist or band, who would it be?

Ooooh... Well, we love Delirious. Do you count U2 as a Christian artist? (yes) We love U2 of course.

* A story that The Afters have experienced on the West Coast:

We have a fun story in San Francisco. We went to a Starbucks, and when we were leaving, the girl that worked there got our attention and asked "Are you guys in a band?" and we said "yeah," and she's like "You're The Afters!" We said "Yea," and she was like "Oh my goodness, I was just at Nordstom, I saw your video playing and I went and bought your CD." So she brought her CD and asked us to sign it. Kind of an example of how God opens the door for our music to be in places like Nordstrom, Gap, American Eagle... otherwise that girl might never have heard our music.

Any last words?

We're really grateful for the support from all of our fans and friends.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!




Courtney Lee
BREATHEcast Correspondent